


all the pretty things that we could be

by sleepyboys



Series: little numbers [1]
Category: K-pop, MBLAQ
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-05
Updated: 2014-06-05
Packaged: 2018-02-03 11:27:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1743077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyboys/pseuds/sleepyboys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>jihoon and joon are going out. joon works in the café near jihoon's home, but, there is more to joon than meets the eye.</p>
            </blockquote>





	all the pretty things that we could be

**Author's Note:**

> i was too lazy to capitalize stuff, sorry :( also, i am Lame, i know. these are real people, no one here belongs to me, not even the NSS (a fictional secret organization from korean drama IRIS) english is not my first language, so i apologize for any grammar and/or spelling mistakes.

the first time jihoon notices something is off about joon, is when he comes back from a mission, bloody and limping (and limping isn't particularly comfortable when you're wearing an expensive suit) he is about to look for his keys, that must be somewhere in his pockets--and, too bad if he can't find them, he'll have to pass out on the floor. he's had worse nights. 

that's when he catches joon's silhouette, closing the coffee shop and walking around the corner. jihoon's been trained to disappear in front of the enemy's eyes in a blink, but joon notices him far too quickly for him to really do anything but groan in pain. they have been going out for almost three months, and jihoon doesn't feel like fucking it up with all the problems that come with being a secret agent. he's really thankful joon has never asked why jihoon gets the shit beat out of him almost twice a week. _that_ one would be hard to explain, and jihoon's had to explain some weird stuff.

"jihoon?" joon asks, tentatively. jihoon contemplates passing out for real.

"no, the ghost of christmas past" joon giggles, softly, almost as if he fears the sound of his laughter will make jihoon's pain worse. if anything, jihoon thinks, it would take his mind off of it.

joon gets close and takes jihoon's arm, making jihoon recline on him. jihoon doesn't have the energy to feel embarrassed or to care enough. maybe if jisub was here, mocking him for not even being able to stand on his feet because _'they only shot you twice, and the bullets didn't even stay inside your leg'_

yeah, fuck jisub, it's not like he walks out of missions unharmed, the bastard.

"you never did tell me," whispers joon as he searches for the loft's keys in jihoon's pockets. jihoon is far too tired to make a sexual comment about how joon is groping him and stuff. he just lets it be, there'll be plenty of time for teasing once he can actually _walk_. "what you do for a living"

the sarcastic words leave his mouth almost instantly, without him really meaning to say them. "i'd have to kill you" joon giggles again and jihoon wishes it wasn't true. if he was sure joon didn't pose a threat to national security (one can never be too sure, and it's happened before, with jisub and one of jisub's lovers. neither of them like to talk about it) he'd tell joon everything in a heartbeat.

while joon opens the door, jihoon thinks that telling him the truth would also be cruel on his part. agents die on the field all the time, go missing or get kidnapped and tortured so much, they are nothing but a ghost of what they used to be once they come back, and only really go back to their homes to waste away (if they come back at all, some choose death over giving out any secrets) jihoon would never want to put anyone he cared for through that, through the uncertainty of waiting for someone who may already be dead, and through nights of not sleeping because he's in a critical condition or he hasn't gotten back in time from a mission and is about to be declared MIA.

jihoon wouldn't really wish that on anyone (and he's the one getting shot on a daily basis) but then, he also asks himself just how much he is hurting joon by only giving him half-truths, and sometimes, he doesn't even reveal _any_ of the truth. jihoon is probably one of the worst boyfriends ever.

joon leaves jihoon on the couch while he looks for the first aid kit, although jihoon tries to stop him. "that's not really--" he means to say necessary, because he'll be alright with some painkillers for now, and he can treat his injuries in the morning. joon doesn't seem to realize just _how_ tired jihoon is, and jihoon doesn't blame him, he's pretty good at pretending he is not tired, or hasn't been shot--he normally is better at that, but right now, the pain is a _bitch._

"it's either this, or the hospital. or me calling that friend of yours who has a crush on byunghee" jihoon frowns at that. "he told me to call him if you misbehaved, or did something stupid. and you _obviously_ did something stupid"

"tell him to come, i'll show him stupid" he mutters under his breath and joon shakes his head, but he's still laughing. "and seriously? he keeps denying it" but then, jisub always denies having emotions _at all_. that is something jihoon will have to look into, much to jisub's dismay.

joon snorts. "jihoon, it's pretty obvious. they are literally the only ones who haven't realized it" he comes back from the bathroom with the first aid kit, and jihoon doesn't mean to, but he stares the way he'd stare if he was gunning down an enemy. joon doesn't seem impressed, and jihoon guesses he's dealt with worse before.

"you'd rather i take you to the hospital?" and that's enough for jihoon to keep quiet and lie back while joon works.

joon treats his injuries like he's done this a million times before--don't get jihoon wrong, he knows most people know how to treat small cuts and stuff like that, but there is no way they should know how to treat _his_ kind of injuries with nothing but a first aid kit.

well, there _is_ a way. if you're a special agent (or an assassin) you know how to work wonders with what little you have, because going to a hospital may blow your cover, and most agents hate going to medical anyway—unless it’s really an emergency--so they all suck it up and use whatever is in the first aid kit, but there is _no way_ joon is either. maybe his parents taught him, maybe he has a cop friend or--or something. jihoon is far too tired to think of all the viable options.

jihoon hopes joon doesn't notice the way he is quietly asking himself if joon is hiding something from him (not like jihoon doesn't hide things from joon)

*

the second time, jihoon thinks joon is less subtle about it. it's like he wants jihoon to be suspicious, and jihoon can't avoid it.

jisub makes sure to point it out, too, when it happens.

he gets to the coffee shop, with jisub. it's not a strange happening that they go together, but it's also not common enough, due to their respective schedules and what-not. jihoon knows jisub only comes here because of the other barista (was his name byunghee? he can't remember) but jihoon decides to keep it for himself. it's good blackmail material for whenever he needs it (and he's probably going to need it soon, so jisub gets whatever mission jihoon doesn't feel like taking himself. serves the fucker right)

when they get to the coffee shop, there's only joon and other man, who is bad at trying to pass off as a non-suspicious person, like, _really_ bad. first of all, he is wearing an all-black outfit, as if that would help him mix with the crowd easily, if they were in a mission, and that man was the mark, jihoon or jisub would have already killed him. too-easy-to-identify marks are even easier to get rid of.

joon doesn't look too concerned, but he also doesn't look relaxed the way he normally does, and he is alone, when jihoon knows, for a fact, that byunghee and joon _always_ work their shifts together, what with them being best friends. jihoon is sure joon sensed something was wrong with the man and simply told byunghee he'd deal with it, and to not worry and wait in the staff's room, all the way back in the store. contrary to popular belief, joon is not dumb and naive, and has an acute sense of danger that some field agents could _really_ use (jihoon could use it, too, sometimes) he is constantly impressing jihoon at how good he is at reading people and handling social situations and how he is always aware of his surroundings (which only makes jihoon think, even more so, that joon wasn’t always _just_ a barista) 

that's when jisub butts in. "there's something weird"

jihoon rolls his eyes, _of course_ he would only notice the situation because his precious byunghee is missing. "no shit, sherlock"

jisub actually looks offended, but jihoon can't really know because jisub rarely shows emotion. “damn, have you not gotten to kiss him or something?”

just when jihoon is about to reply, joon notices them and waves at them, friendly as usual but not with quite the energy, like he's trying to not bring too much attention to himself. jihoon and jisub look at each other and nod, and then walk towards the coffee shop.

“if our cover gets blown somehow, i’ll take the fault” he whispers, and jisub chuckles.

“you were always one for heroics. we’ll be _fine_ , you know hyori would help us cover up” jisub replies, but jisub doesn’t sound all that sure of himself

jihoon knows, but the extent of hyori’s cover up could eventually not be enough, and he’d be hunted down as a traitor for putting the nation’s security at risk—all because he wasn’t careful enough at hiding his identity, and risked another agent's identity and well-being.

there are a lot of things jihoon would do for joon, like being labeled as a traitor if that means joon is safe. the man doesn’t look aware of their presence once they enter the store, until joon greets them both with one of his bright smiles and offers to take their orders. he pretends to not know them and they do the same. for all jihoon knows, this man could be a spy from an enemy agency, who was told to confirm the identity of jihoon and get information about the people jihoon cares about. jisub coming along is just far too good for whatever organization hired the man in the coffeeshop, if there is _indeed_ an organization behind all of this.

jisub has always been better at the whole whisper-talk, and gets closer to the counter to order for them. jihoon sits close to the man, just behind him, so he can make sure the man can’t hear any of what jisub tells joon. once jisub places their order and asks joon questions, he goes back, and doesn’t look particularly worried.

the guy leaves before jisub and jihoon’s coffees are ready, and the atmosphere is notably, far less tense. joon actually lets out a sigh of relief, and jihoon lets out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. jisub gets up and quickly walks to the room where the staff take breaks, obviously looking for byunghee, and making sure he is okay. jihoon is gonna tease him mercilessly for it. maybe he'll even tell hyori and hyori will get her minions to tease jisub too, although they are terrified of him, but as long as hyori promises she'll protect them, there is little jisub can do (because he too, like jihoon, lives in constant fear of hyori's awesomely wicked mind)

joon is the first one to break the awkward silence that has settled between them, and jihoon hadn’t noticed before because he was thinking of ways of tracking that man down and making his death look like an accident, although he didn't hurt joon. “i knew that man”

then, jihoon knows that there is more to joon than what meets the eye. he doesn’t let any emotion show on his face, though, because joon could catch wind of it and be more careful about whatever it is he’s hiding. “a nasty ex-boyfriend? a stalker? did he try to hurt you?” joon shakes his head, at every thing jihoon has said. it frustrates jihoon a little, but if joon doesn't feel like talking about it, jihoon's fine with that. “well, i know who he is: someone i’ll beat to a pulp if he ever does something like this again”

joon smiles, nervously. “i wasn’t scared” and, if jihoon wasn’t a skilled liar himself, he would almost believe him. joon smiles again, and jihoon admires how incredibly strong joon is, because it honestly takes guts to pretend you're alright after being in an almost-dangerous situation. he would make a good agent.

“you were, and it’s okay. we all get scared” jihoon replies. “and what you did for byunghee was brave, though i’d rather you put your safety first” besides, had anything happened to byunghee, jisub would have broken all hell loose, he wouldn’t have cared at all about their identities or about their safety, and guys at the nss know better than to mess with jisub when he is angry. jihoon shares the feeling.

for a moment, joon seems to forget that jihoon is in the room. “byunghee—he’s innocent, he doesn’t know--”

jihoon doesn’t ask any more questions.

*

he has almost no one he would confide in—almost no one he _can_ confide in. he would tell joon about the things he’s been thinking, if the stuff he’s been thinking about wasn’t related to joon and whatever joon is hiding from him.

so, he goes with the next best option: jisub.

jisub is as emotionally stunted as jihoon is (and proof of that is how he has made next to no progress with byunghee—while jihoon has already gone out on dates with joon) but, whenever they are not trying to talk about his own feelings, he is fairly good at giving advice. he could also go to hyori, but the quartermaster is always busy and would probably order her minions to kick him out of the lab before anything could explode (that only happened _one time_ , and hyori hasn’t let it go)

“i didn’t know you were capable of thinking of anyone but yourself” jisub says mockingly, once jihoon talks about joon, and his suspicions of what joon hides.

“says the one who is allergic to nuts, and the whole spectrum of human emotion” jihoon replies back, but he also doesn’t really mean it. jisub snorts.

“want me to run a background check on your little boyfriend?” jisub asks, but jihoon shakes his head.

“i—i’ve got the feeling joon used to be---“

“an assassin?” jisub continues, and jihoon tries his best to not look surprised. after all, jisub can be very observant if he wants to, it should be no surprise he got suspicious too. “yeah, thought of it after he treated your injuries so professionally, and after he knew what to do with that creep in the store. also, he’s super silent, almost as silent as you, and we know _only_ ninjas and assassins learn how to be that stealthy”

jihoon kind of wants to ask why jisub even noticed things as little as those, but he chooses to ask the important question, instead “you think the man we saw used to be part of whatever group or organization joon was part of?”

jisub shrugs. “it’s a possibility” he sighs. “you need to talk to joon, you know. communication is key”

jihoon snorts. “oh, i’ll do that, just make sure you ask your little crush out on a date”

he runs out of the door in time to avoid jisub punching his shoulder.

*  
until now, jihoon had thought that the scariest moment in his life had been when someone had planted a bomb in the headquarters and hyori and jisub had been counted among the deceased before the rescue team found them. that is something jihoon will never forget and is still pretty high on his list of _things-that-managed-to-scare-the-shit-out-of-him_ , but right now, in his apartment, with joon sitting across him, eating pasta and talking about his day carelessly, as if he didn’t sense anything weird, jihoon feels like he is going to _lose it_.

he clears his throat, and thankfully, that is enough for joon to turn around and look at him in the eyes. he takes a deep breath, and hopes for the best. “this is something i never thought i would ask, but, were you an assassin?”

joon doesn’t look scared or amused. in fact, he looks like he was already expecting the question. “jihoon, i—“

  
jihoon interrupts him. “hey, i’m not mad, i know i hide things too. but, you know, just wanted to ask, because explaining my job would be way easier if we got this out of the way”

joon sighs. “i haven’t been one since i turned twenty one. i got tired of running away, and tired of never having a estable relationship. i worked for the government, and i can assure you, i’m way happier right now” jihoon can see it, young and scared and excited joon, with all these dreams and hopes about doing something for his country. starry-eyed joon getting tired of it all, because he can't really _live_ the way he wants to, and eventually choosing a normal life with the opportunity of settling down, over a life where you end up dead on the field or kill yourself due to all the trauma and guilt of being a _survivor_. jihoon understands, he really does, he would quit too if he wasn't doing this for the family he once had.

jihoon has already mentioned it, but, there are a lot of things he would do for joon. he is relieved joon was a ‘good guy’ (because in their field, there is nothing such as completely good or completely bad) but, had he not been, jihoon is sure he would have gone to great lengths to make sure the government could never hurt joon for whatever crimes he could have committed. god, jihoon would tear apart the whole country if someone even tried to put their hands on joon.

there are few things he _wouldn’t_ do to keep joon safe and happy, and some of those things are up to debate.

jihoon sighs, too. “i’m not strictly recognized by the government—i mean, they know we exist, but keep it quiet”

now, joon does look surprised. “you mean nss? _seriously?_ ” jihoon nods. “i thought you were the same as me. guess it makes more sense that a nss guy would wear suits to _every freaking mission_ ”

“mine are fairly comfortable” jihoon replies, and he takes joon’s right hand in his own, promising himself he'll do _everything_ and _anything_ to not fuck this up.

joon’s laugh makes him feel like everything will be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> any review is welcomed, and thank you for reading this if you, indeed, read it! also, yay! the proposal references! i also plan to write another fic explaining why joon looked so afraid of the man, so if you were wondering what the hecky the man in the coffeeshop had to with anything, there's that.


End file.
